A Storybrooke Christmas
by FreeRen
Summary: Henry decides to bring Christmas cheer to Storybrooke with Operation Reindeer. Emma and Captain Hook agree to help him carry out his plans. Captain Swan sooner or later.
1. Prologue

_Author's_ _Note_: _Figure it would be Captain Swan that has me writing fanfic after a 10 year vacation. I don't have a beta (applicants, message me!) so all mistakes are my own. More chapters to come._

Prologue

_6 weeks until Christmas_

"Mom?"

Emma Swan carefully finished wiping down her coffee mug and eyed Henry carefully. He had been through an undeterminable hell in the previous month and her normally cheerful, happy, truest-believer son had been a little too quiet since arriving home. To say that she was concerned that Pan had forever scarred Henry was an understatement. "Yeah, kiddo? What's up?" She replied.

"It's almost December." Henry stated carefully, looking at Emma from across the room. "It's almost Christmas."

He crossed the living room of the loft over to where Emma was standing in the kitchen. Henry looked at Emma expectantly for a moment.

Christmas, Emma realized. Shit. Her hands stilled as worried thoughts tumbled through her head, she could have sworn her heart missed a beat. Her first Christmas with Henry.

Her first Christmas with her _family_.

Her mind drifted to David and Mary Margaret, still not quite okay after Neverland. She mentally cursed Peter Pan for the tenth time today and relished the moment that her fist connected with his smirking jaw.

Weaseling dirtbag.

"And I was thinking," Henry continued on, jumping on a kitchen stool , "It's really the first Christmas in Storybrooke since the curse broke."

"Wait a second. You mean, you didn't have Christmas in Storybrooke before the curse?" Emma couldn't help but ask. Her mind was already spinning with irritation towards Regina. Typical that the woman would keep the most magical holiday away from Storybrooke. Couldn't have Santa competing against her.

Henry considered this for a moment. "We did, but I've been thinking. It wasn't real for anyone. Grandma never spent any Christmases with Gramps. Gepetto was all alone. Belle was locked up. The curse separated people."

"And you should be with the people you love on Christmas." Emma filled in the gap quietly. She briefly thought back to her last few Christmases. At least three of which involved a bottle of alcohol and a silent apartment. The others, she was busy catching bond jumpers and interrupting celebrations instead of being a part of them.

Certainly not saving Christmases.

"Yeah." Henry smiled up at her. A full real, 1000 kilowatt, Henry smile. It made Emma's heart ache that she hadn't seen him smile like that in so long. She motioned for him to continue. "So, I was thinking that we needed to do something. Give everyone in Storybrooke exactly what they want for Christmas. Even if they don't know it."

Emma couldn't help but marvel at her son. She quickly stepped around the counter and hugged him tightly. He had almost died a month ago, trapped with that damned Peter Pan and now he was saying all he wanted to do for Christmas was make everyone else happy.

She knew then that even a horrible experience in Neverland couldn't change her kid. He had a good heart, even after experiencing the true evil of Pan.

"So, you'll help me?"

Emma didn't have to hesitate. Her first Christmas together with Henry and they had a mission together. It was just like old times. She grinned at him. "Only if we can give it a codename." She thought for a moment. "Operation Snow Cobra."

"Mom! Operation Reindeer!" Henry laughed and hugged her tightly. "I'm going to start a list of what we need to do for everyone. I mean, there's Grandma and Gramps, Belle, Gepetto, Ariel..." He jumped off the kitchen stool and raced for his room.

Emma laughed. It was doing nice things for people in Storybrooke for Christmas. It should be easy, right?  
-

Emma's boots crunched on the snow as she made her way towards Granny's from the station, one chilly Monday afternoon. Her morning had consisted of watching the snow fall consistently and heavily from the window of the police station. The phones had fallen silent.

_I guess it's too damn cold to commit crimes._ Emma thought ruefully as she hitched her coat up higher to guard her face from the wind. The snow had finally started to let up enough for Emma to make the walk from the station to Granny's. In addition to changing up the monotony of her day, she was looking forward to the large cup of hot chocolate that had her name on it. Henry was planning on meeting up with her after-school, he was eager to start planning Operation Reindeer as soon as possible.

The chime on the door to Granny's tinkled as Emma slid inside.

"Hi Emma." Ruby greeted her friend with a wave. "Henry beat you here."

"Thanks Ruby." Emma replied as she slipped out of her thick red coat and hung it up on the coat rack. "What?" She narrowed her eyes as she noticed Ruby's smirk.

"Oh nothing." Ruby said innocently grinning. She tried to look busy wiping down the already spotless counter.

"Mom! Over here!" Henry called from the booth before Emma could interrogate Ruby on what exactly was going on. She gave Ruby one last glance as she turned towards Henry.

"Hey kid." Emma made her way over to Henry and then noticed the reason why Ruby was smirking at her.

"So, tell me lad, what is this Christmas you speak of?" Captain Hook was seated across from Henry, sipping from a mug of tea. His eyes flicked over to Emma as she slid into the booth, next to Henry. "Well... Good afternoon, Emma. Your boy was just filling me in on what seems to be the most promising of holidays."

"Was he now." Emma replied, trying not to seem too cautious and guarded. Since returning from Neverland, Emma had been in contact with both Hook and Neal, but to their dismay, held both of them at arms length. Old habits die hard, she mused. Even so, she briefly remembered the whispered, "and that's when the fun begins." and tried to suppress the shiver that raced down her spine.

"Aye. Presents, good cheer and kisses under hanging plants sounds excellent." Hook smiled at Emma, one eyebrow raised slightly. "Thanks lass." He smiled over to Ruby who had arrived and delivered Granny's famous cheeseburger to Henry and Emma's usual hot chocolate with cinnamon.

Emma rolled her eyes at him, although listening to his usual flirty comments made her feel like he was keeping the status quo.

"It's called mistletoe." Henry supplied helpfully.

"Ah. Duly noted." Hook replied with his grin.

"So, Mom. I was telling Hook all about Operation Reindeer and he's going to help us!"

Emma looked at Hook, eyebrows raised, who innocently shrugged in reply. "Well love, I told Henry that his plan..."

"Operation Reindeer." Henry said through a mouthful of cheeseburger.

"...Too right, Operation Reindeer, sounded like a true pirate plan." Hook finished with a grin. "Hearing about it made me miss me pirating ways. You'll have my services, if it's okay with your mum, of course."

_Nice Hook,_ Emma thought as she glared over at the happily smirking pirate. She aimed quiet kick at the Hook's shin under the table for his slightly underhanded scheme. He had the balls to shrug off her kick and wink at her instead. _Pirate_. He mouthed at her in response. Emma looked over to Henry, who seemed to be anticipating her conflict and just smiled at her.

"It's fine. He can help us with Operation Reindeer." Emma replied begrudgingly. She took a sip of her hot chocolate. "But no stealing! Breaking in! Or any other illegal acts. I still am the Sheriff of Storybrooke, even if this is Operation Reindeer." She admonished Hook.

"Pirate's honor, love." Hook's blue eyes twinkled as he laid his hook across his chest.

"Thanks Mom!" Henry said as he hugged her. "Now, our first target? Gramps and Grandma."

Emma resisted the urge to groan as Hook gave another wink her direction. Operation Reindeer did not look so painless after all.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Thanks to rotating schedules between not two, but _three_ doting parents, Emma didn't have a chance to talk to Henry until Wednesday about Hook and Operation Reindeer. She pulled the bug up in front of Henry's school and mulled over the variety of possibilities that Henry and Hook could cause her trouble through Operation Reindeer. Operation Holiday Fruitcake would be more appropriate, she thought with a grin. Who would think a year ago that she would be teaming up with her son and Captain Freakin' Hook to bring Christmas cheer to a land full of fairytale characters?

But then again, she remembered the cold feeling of terror as she watched Henry collapse motionless in a dingy Neverland cave. If spreading Christmas cheer made her son happy, then damn it, she would wear a damn elf outfit and deliver presents on Christmas Eve if Henry wanted her to. In fact, she would gladly force Hook into an elf outfit to help her, since that infuriating man was insisting on being so damned helpful.

The thought of Hook in a twinkly elf outfit, complete with jingle toed shoes, did make her giggle just a bit to herself. Would serve him right.

"Hey Mom! What's so funny?" Henry exclaimed as he pulled open the passenger side door to the bug and jumped in.

Emma smirked. "It's really nothing."

"Ah, c'mon Mom! Just tell me."

"Well, in the spirit of the mission... I think you should ask Hook if he would wear an elf costume and deliver presents around town." Emma told Henry.

_Payback's a bitch,_ Hook. She thought smugly as Henry pulled out a small notebook and jotted down her idea. Henry finished writing and then looked up. "Okay, so first we need to stop at the market. And..." Henry peered over his shoulder, out the back window. "Yep! There he is!" He waved.

The door opened and Hook peered in. "Ah, so this is where Operation Reindeer begins!" He said with a large grin. "Henry, mate, can you jump into the back of the carriage for me?"

Emma gaped at him for a moment as Hook slid into the passenger seat of her car, setting in like he had been riding in cars his entire life. "It's called a car." Emma muttered as she hit the gas and merged out into traffic."

"Is it now? Brilliant. Maybe you'll teach me to drive this one day?"

"In your dreams, Hook."

Hook opened his mouth to deliver a reply when Emma shot him an evil eye. Emma knew that she gave him quite the opportunity for his usual sexy banter, but she drew the line with Henry sitting in the backseat, listening to their conversation with rapt attention. Hook winked at her, then turned to face Henry in the backseat. "So, Captain Henry, since you are the one in charge of our most secret operation - where to my lad?"

"The market! We're going to prepare a romantic dinner for Grandma and Gramps." Henry gestured excitedly. "It will be great! They'll get to spend time together, talk and fix their problems."

Emma's heart sunk just a little. Her sweet boy, if only dinner could fix all the problems in the world. She shared a sideways glance with Hook, who she could tell was thinking the same idea. But, how do you break that sort of thing to an 11 year old?

Plus, another pressing issue. She thought with a mild panic, she couldn't cook anything fancy to save her soul. How on Earth was she supposed to handle this?

Hook turned back around, raised his eyebrow at Henry. "So... dinner. I think me and your mum can handle that. What's the rest of your plan?"

Henry grinned. "I'll have Grandma and Gramps take me out to the movies. While we're gone, you and my mom can cook at the apartment!"

Out of the corner of her eye, Emma saw Hook still for just a moment at this "plan" of Henry's. Emma had to count to ten, remind herself that she really, really loved Henry, this was Christmas, tell herself firmly that she agreed to Operation Fruit... Reindeer before she pasted what she hoped was a cheery grin on her face.

"That sounds like a plan, Henry. When are you planning this dinner for?"

"Oh, I told Gramps about it yesterday! We're meeting them at 4:30, so I can join them for the movies! Then, they're dropping me off at Regina's and I'm sure they'll head home after that." Henry rattled off the schedule of events, not understanding the panic that filled the front seat of the car.

Emma shared a wide eyed glance of panic with Hook and glanced at her watch. 2:30. Shit! She pressed down on the gas pedal. "Well, we better get to the market, then. We have a lot of shopping to do."

"Bloody buggering fuck!" Hook cursed to himself as he raked his good hand through his hair. "What the hell are all these little spoons for!" He held up a ring of measuring spoons in frustration. "Why do you need five itty bitty spoons?! And love, please tell me what is a t-bsp?" He sounded out as he eyed the recipe in pure frustration.

Emma didn't know whether to laugh or to cry as she surveyed the state of the apartment she shared with Mary-Margaret and David.

The kitchen was covered in cooking paraphernalia and various ingredients. Hook and Emma had removed their jackets earlier as they had set to Henry's plan. To his credit, Henry did choose a relatively easy menu, spaghetti, salad and brownies (box mix, thank god) for dessert, but for a cooking novice and a one-handed pirate from another realm, it had become quite the challenge.

Emma finally bit down on her laugh, as Hook angrily shook the spoons. If the whole day wasn't so completely insane, she would be screaming in frustration. "Those are measuring spoons. You use them to measure small ingredients into whatever you're cooking." She held out her hand across the kitchen island. "Here..." She flicked through the spoons and found the tablespoon. "Tsbp is short for tablespoon and that's this one. "

Hook huffed as he took the spoons back. "Bloody ridiculous, if you ask me. On the Jolly, we would just pinch the spices and throw it in the pot."

Emma looked at him, her shirt covered in small tomato sauce stains from the jar that she had wrestled open earlier. "Listen Hook, I'm not exactly a chef here. I'm doing my best. Can you hand me that pan?"

Hook's blue eyes met hers across the kitchen island as the tension ebbed from his shoulders. "Oh, I know love. Just a wee bit frustrating your land can be at times." He picked up a sauce pan with his hook and brought it over to Emma.

"Thanks." Emma dumped the sauce into the pan and turned on the burner. "If it was anyone else, but Mary-Margaret and David, I would have thrown in the towel and ordered a pizza instead."

Hook nodded in agreement. "I agree, but His Highness is a right good mate. I don't mind helping him with his lady love."

"You two certainly did spend a lot of time together." Emma commented. "Thank you again for saving him."

"You're welcome to thank me like you did on island anytime, love." Hook causally replied as he carefully measured water into the bowl and went back to attempting to mix the brownie batter.

Emma wanted to snap at him in frustration, but found that she couldn't really muster up the anger. How could she yell and scream at the man that risked his life to get Henry back to her? The man that saved her father from dreamshade?

So she settled on the next best thing. She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Ah. I'm glad that you settled that in the most mature fashion." He gave her a wink.

Emma rolled her eyes and glanced at her watch. "So, here's the deal. We have to dump this sauce on the noodles in a few minutes. We'll put the brownies in the oven. Those brownies should bake for..."

Hook checked the box carefully, "I think 30 minutes. But I don't quite understand this 'dark pan' business." He raised his eyebrow at Emma expectantly.

"Not that I'm an expert, but some pans are dark and some pans are made of glass." Emma replied.

"Ah." He grabbed the bowl of batter and cautiously stuck a finger in the mix. Emma watched, her heart in her throat, as he slowly licked the mixture off his finger. His eyes lit up at the taste and looked over to Emma. "Tell me love, why do you even bother baking this when it's this divine?"

Hook seemed to enjoy that Emma laughed at his question. "Well, salmonella can be a bitch." She kept going as his confused look. "You can get germs from the raw egg you put in there. And then, maybe in 24 hours, you'll be fairly miserable and on a first name basis with the toilet."

Hook's hand froze midway into the batter and after a brief hesitation pulled his hand back.. "Ah. Thanks for the warning, Swan."

Together, they finished the brownies and the spaghetti, which Emma quickly put on the table. She added a note - hoping that Mary-Margaret would read it and pull the brownies from the oven when the time came.

"What else can I help you with?" Hook asked as he casually leaned back against the island, his black shirt pulled taunt over his tight arms.

Emma considered the notes Henry left, forced herself not to stare stupidly at Hook and glanced up at the clock instead. "Why don't you put the salad on the table and light the candles? I think David and Mary-Margaret might be home soon."

"Aye. That this old pirate can handle." Hook told her with a nod. Emma watched as he expertly balanced two candlesticks in one hand and the bowl of salad on his hook. She had to admit that he was nothing but a helpful, dare she say, fun presence during the first stage of Operation Reindeer.

It was that revelation that prompted Emma to grab a bottle of wine and two glasses from the kitchen and drink away any further thoughts like that. When Hook came back to the kitchen, he raised his eyebrows at the full wine glass Emma placed in front of him.

"What marks this occasion? I mean, I do have my flask of rum." Hook asked as he picked up the wine glass and took a long drink.

Emma reached forward and quietly tipped her wine glass against Hook's. "Uh... To Operation Reindeer?" She toasted and quickly took a large drink. Damn it, she cursed inwardly. Dumbass Emma. Drinking with Hook, especially when he was being so helpful and wearing those leather pants, could not lead to anything good.

As if reading her thoughts, Hook smirked at her over the rim of his glass.

_Damn it! _Emma cursed again and was just about to suggest leaving, when they both heard the unmistakable sound of keys jingling in the door.

"Shit!" Emma hissed and grabbed Hook by the arm. "C'mon!" She literally dragged him out of the kitchen and slipped into her bedroom. She had just quietly shut the door when she heard David and Mary-Margaret come into the living room, laughing and talking.

"Emma, if you wanted me in your bedroom all you had to do was ask, love." Hook commented as he leaned against her closet door.

"Can you shut the hell up?" Emma hissed, her ear pressed against the door. "Like I really need my parents catching me with Captain Fucking Hook in my bedroom!"

Hook, that rat bastard, merely grinned back to her in reply and taking a long sip of his wine as he did.

Emma pressed her ear to the door tighter and she could faintly hear Mary-Margaret's voice. "David, look at this! This is what Henry was talking about - taking time out to eat."

"...and Emma helped." David commented. "Well, my dear Snow. Why don't we sit and enjoy the food our daughter prepared?"

Emma heard the scraping of chairs as she leaned away from the door and groaned. "We're trapped in here." She tipped back and quickly took a large drink from her wine glass to cope with this new information.

"Don't worry, my dear Emma." Hook materialized at her side and winked. "I bought the bottle of wine."

Shit.

Shit!

_Shit!_

Emma glanced at Hook's smug smile and at the bottle. "Fill me up."

-  
_Several Hours Later..._

Bottle of wine long discarded, Emma now sat on the floor of her bedroom, hungry, slightly buzzed and more than slightly angry at the pirate who had made himself quite comfortable in her bed. Hook was on her bed, arms tucked back behind his head and his long legs splayed out in front of him, long enough to almost reach the end of the mattress.

At first, Emma didn't think that her parents would spend a long time in the living room of the apartment. Maybe 45 minutes? How long could it take two people to eat spaghetti?

Three hours later, Emma realized that her parents either ate like snails or had a few issues to work out. She sighed as she could hear Mary-Margaret start to bring up Dreamshade. She sighed and vowed to keep emergency snacks in her room from now on.

"Like I said before, there's plenty of room for both of us." Hook called out, the picture of comfort from her bed.

Emma shot Hook a glare that had withered the charms of many a man, yet only made Hook smile wider. "Look, I am tired and hungry. Just can you can it with all the sexy talk? Maybe I'll be up for it tomorrow."

A moment passed as Hook considered her request. "Fine, but a request instead."

Narrowing her eyes at him, "Not a trick?" Emma asked.

"Nary a trick in sight." Hook replied, sitting up pinning Emma in place with his determined glare. "I'm done with this sodding 'Hook' business from you. I would think that after the load of adventures we've shared, from beanstalks to Neverland, the least you could muster would be to call me by my real name."

Emma hmphed, "Fine... Jones." She said with a glare.

"Brilliant." Hook, fine Killian Jones, flashed her a smile that she tried not to return. "And with that I will bid you goodbye." He turned towards the window and opened it.

"What the hell? Are you insane?" Emma cried as she scrambled up from her position off the floor. "You can't just jump out my window!"

Jones chuckled as he slid one leather clad leg over the window sill. "This old pirate has had quite a bit of experience climbing from a fair lass' window. If you could just return my jacket tomorrow, I'd be forever in your debt. I'll be seeing you soon."

Emma tried not scream, slap him, or notice that his eyes seemed very blue and his body well muscled as he worked his way out of her room. Then the thought hit her and she ran the remainder of the way to the window and peered out at his nimble form navigating his way down the building. "Wait, you could have left three hours ago!" She whispered angrily.

Killian's laugh rang through the silent night. "Aye, but I wanted to grace you with my company! Good night, my dear Swan!" He called as his feet finally hit the pavement below.

With a small scream of frustration, Emma slammed her window shut and flopped on her bed, determined not to think of infuriating pirates with bright blue eyes and never ending smiles.

Instead, she only dreamed of infuriating pirates with bright blue eyes and never ending smiles.


End file.
